Well, pack your bags, we are headed back to the Canadian National Capital. The Ottawa Senators will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night for Game 6 of their first-round Eastern Conference 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff matchup. Dude, if anyone had Tim Stutzle down for three points in Game 5 in the Leafs and Sens, let me know. The Sens are officially back in one. It just seemed like this game turned on a couple plays. Whether it was Matthews firing it high on the 2-on-1 or Ullmark coming up big on countless other occasions. The Sens got very timely offence to come away with a convincing, road playoff victory.
DYLAN COZENS SHORTY!! pic.twitter.com/92X27ITfNB
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2025
How the Sens Got Past the Leafs in Game 5 of the First-Round Playoff Series
The Ottawa Senators are a very stingy team when they are playing well. And right now, they are playing well. In the regular season, they tied with Connor Hellebuyck‘s led Winnipeg Jets with ten shutouts. Linus Ullmark backstopped their way to a shutout victory in this one, stopping all 27 shots on target.
The Ottawa Senators and the Man They Call Jimmy Stu Are Headed to the Playoffs
Let’s make no mistake, the Leafs are no easy task. Coming into the Game 5, the Core 4 had combined for 24 points in the series. Still, they had their share of high-quality scoring opportunities in this game as well. In fact, the big four, John Tavares, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner combined for 11 of those 27 shots in this one. However, with a bit of luck, and some timely stops, the Sens were able to earn the win, forcing a Game 6 back at home.
The Underdog for the Leafs
A player to continue to watch for the Leafs, might have to get his own spot in the Core 4, Matthew Knies makes whispers stir of the Fabulous Five. With his emergence, it will be interesting if Toronto can keep Marner come this offseason. But that’s no where near the minds of Leaf fans today. Knies has three goals in the series. Currently, that has him tied with Tavares for the team lead in this series. He will need to continue to come up big if the Leafs are to hang on in this Best-of-Seven showdown.
In contrast to the Leafs success prior to Game 5 in the series against the Sens, you could somewhat turn it around that of those 24, they’ve only now had 15 since Game 1. In four games, that’s slightly below point-per-game players, but why?
What About the Senators Strengths?
For Ottawa, we want to focus in on their tremendous defencemen. Thomas Chabot, as smooth as ever, began the scoring for the Sens in this one. Furthermore, we have seen the growth and development of the roster as a whole, pretty well starting with Chabot but conitnuing to this day. With each playoff victory, the Senators gain more and more confidence and much needed, battle-tested experience.
The one player who stands out on Ottawa continues to be Jake Sanderson. In Chabot and Sanderson, the Sens have two highly-respected defenders from around the NHL. Jake Sanderson in particular has had a huge campaign. He scored 11 goals and added 46 assists in nearly 24-and-a-half minutes a night. This was more than deserving of his replacement nod on Team USA at the 4 Nations tourney in February. Now, he and his Ottawa Senator teammates look to continue this run back home in Game 6.
This series has had it all. There’s been battles and big hits, like Knies on Shane Pinto or Tyler Kleven on Steven Lorentz. Furthermore, this series has seen high skill, like the Leafs firing on all cylinders on the power play in Game 1. With Ottawa at home in Game 6, and the fact they do match well with Toronto, it really becomes anyone’s guess. Look for the players we have reference, Knies, Sanderson, Ullmark, to be key differentiators in Game 6.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
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